Merc Pyro PvP build and what's it like?

[Champagnetime]

I was wondering if there are any level 50 Pyrotech Merc's who pvp out there. What type of build do you run with? Is it better to go deep into the Pyrotech tree or do you use a hybrid type of build?

 

This is the build I was thinking about atm: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300MZMcoZcGrrzGGMs.1

 

Just a couple of questions in general.

 

1) Do you find it hard to kite opponents as Pyro?

 

2) It feels my Heat levels rise extremely fast, how do you guys manage it?

 

3) Do you even use Power Shot or do you just wait till Unload is up to help you proc Railshots?

[Tavicus]

I was wondering if there are any level 50 Pyrotech Merc's who pvp out there. What type of build do you run with? Is it better to go deep into the Pyrotech tree or do you use a hybrid type of build?

 

This is the build I was thinking about atm: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300MZMcoZcGrrzGGMs.1

 

Just a couple of questions in general.

 

1) Do you find it hard to kite opponents as Pyro?

 

2) It feels my Heat levels rise extremely fast, how do you guys manage it?

 

3) Do you even use Power Shot or do you just wait till Unload is up to help you proc Railshots?

 

hello, yes i switched to pyro after my arsenal spec just wasnt cutting it, too many interrupts.

i do find it very difficult to kite in pvp, waiting for a 2 sec slow proc is extremally frustrating when im slowed for much longer than that. although i see on your build, i did not put points into Degauss, i suppose that would help a little.

as far as heat, i dont really see too much of a problem, im constantly on the move and am shooting Rapid shots all the time, use unload when its off CD, if i need more damage right away i use power shot (i used one point in Muzzle Fluting). unload will have a higher chance to reset your railshot which you need to use EVERY time you can.

 

hope this helps, and good luck

[Champagnetime]

Ah thx, just wondering.

 

Does alacrity reduce the channel time of Unload?

[TroglodyteJB]

Does alacrity reduce the channel time of Unload?

 

Yes, it does, as well as the cast time of abilities. It does not reduce the global cooldown, though, unless it reduces the cast time of an ability below 1.5 seconds.

[Phrase]

Tinkered about and this is what I run: Merc Pyro at 50. I do alright, but I still need to watch my positioning and if I get jumped by more than 1 melee I'm pretty much screwed. As far as managing heat, it's more about not letting it build too much, weaving rapid shots to keep the combustible dot up, and taking full advantage of free rail procs.

 

Keep in mind that Unload procs rail at the beginning of the channel, so you don't need to finish the cast if you need to stay mobile.

 

Personally I opted for the increased crit, muzzle fluting (for powershot) and infrared sensors over investing in the vent boosting skills.

 

Edit: To answer your questions.

 

1) Not unless I get 3 or more who keep me stunned and slowed, and Determination and Jet Boost are on CD. Line of Sight and Combustible are your friend so spam Rapid Shots.

 

2) I pretty much covered heat I think.

 

3) Powershot is beast when used with IM>Unload>(optional Rail proc)>Power Surge>Thermal Sensor Override>Powershot (optional Rail proc).

Edited January 4, 2012 by Phrase

[princeofire]

blowing both thermal sensor override and power surge on power shot is bad in my opinion... use it on something with more muscle that actually helps.. like fusion missile

[LarkBenson]

Pyro is a good spec that offers a lot of versatility, but can be very frustrating. Pyro does a lot of things well but no single thing exceptionally well. You have some burst, but it requires a lot of set up. You've got decent mobility but you still have to spend time casting to proc rail and to use conc missile, and you don't have much in the way of escape mechanisms. This wouldn't be such a big deal if hutball didn't account for 80% of the WZs you'll end up playing, because pyro is really a great spec for defending objectives and pillar humping. But in hutball where you're forced into the open so often, you really don't bring a lot to the table, and that hurts.

[Lotusfreek]

Pyro can work great in WZs. Been toying around with it. If the enemy team is lacking on heals, I can just wreck people. If they actually have competent healers, it starts to show the weakness in the spec. I find the mobility refreshing as well.

 

I find it much easier to take on multiple people as pyro just for the mobility. If they have a healer... well I hope someone else comes along an remedies that problem.

 

I wish we had a skill like Cull that the agents have. Would make this spec a beast in pvp.

[Sinsavz]

The thing with pyro is, the aoe is insane. DFA, fusion missile, TD, sweeping blasters, cybertech pyro grenade. Ridiculously easy to top warzone scoreboard damage. However, how many of those kills are crucial kills? Lack of burst, poor 1 vs 1, and very little utility are why I originally started out pyro but respecced arsenal.

[princeofire]

The thing with pyro is, the aoe is insane. DFA, fusion missile, TD, sweeping blasters, cybertech pyro grenade. Ridiculously easy to top warzone scoreboard damage. However, how many of those kills are crucial kills? Lack of burst, poor 1 vs 1, and very little utility are why I originally started out pyro but respecced arsenal.

 

for the record, thermal detonator isn't AOE

 

sweeping blasters? gross skill, never use it in pvp

 

lack of burst? you obviously have never had a thermal detonator and railshot crit on a burning target.. easily 5-5.5k burst, combine that with the dots youre running and things die.. quick

 

poor 1 vs 1? hell, it's easier to 1v1 as a pyro over arsenal or even hybrid 21body 20arsenal. only if youre smart about your cooldowns though.. if youre using power surge and thermal sensor override on an extra powershot to try and get railshot to reset, youre dumb

 

crucial kills? all my kills are "crucial" kills. throw dots on everyone and watch the healer decide who to heal and who not to.. kill who they dont. or, even better, a lot of the times the healers are just so bad they forget to look at themselves and I get to light em up real quick

 

very little utility? I might concede this one.. the long cooldown on the aoe knockback, and no rocket punch knock back.... but we get a fairly reliable slow from combustible gas cylinder, at least, i get it fairly often

 

Pyro is a very successful spec that is highly mobile if you have the skill to use it over arsenal, imo. Don't get why everyone is so dissatisfied with it

Edited January 5, 2012 by princeofire

[princeofire]

 

Just a couple of questions in general.

 

1) Do you find it hard to kite opponents as Pyro?

 

2) It feels my Heat levels rise extremely fast, how do you guys manage it?

 

3) Do you even use Power Shot or do you just wait till Unload is up to help you proc Railshots?

 

sorry for the double post but i realized i wasnt really on topic last post..

 

1. some, not much.

 

2. usually start with incendiary missile -> thermal detonator -> rail shot. couple bursts of rapid shots/unload. etc. I dont really have a fixed rotation beyond my opener.. it all revolves around how much heat I have / what cooldowns i have open / how much health my opponent has / my positioning. But I will say that I almost always use thermal sensor over ride with my fusion missile... as that things heat cost can easily put you over the goldie locks zone of heat.

 

3. actually, this question is interesting. Because I hardly, if ever, use power shot. Dont get me wrong its still on my bar for those odd times I use it. But my thought process never involves "spam powershot till i get a railshot proc" <--- thats why so many merc pyros have heat problems imo. My though process involves more of the "rail shot is a good attack and I would like to get it to proc, but I understand that there are better things to do with my heat then focus on getting procs for it"

 

if you are interested in my build here it is.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300ZMIkZMIMrzGGMs.1

 

degauss helps with the kiting issues. I've dueled my brothers marauder a number of times and it helps to break his slow so I can in turn slow him myself and get a couple seconds breather. It was a hard decision to take energy rebounder over automated defences.. both thermal sensor override and kolto overload are very good skills.. but since I manage my heat effectively and can take relative care of myself solo, I took the one that reduces the cool down of my de-snare + damage reduction

 

The only thing I'm not at all happy about is having to go into arsenal to pick up muzzle fluting and stabilizers.. the rare times when I do use power shot.. I want it to be effective, not garbage. But if I could, would much rather have the crit chance in body guard with the 16 extra heat vented.

[Champagnetime]

Thx for the reply prince. Yea, I was wondering about that point in muzzle fluting, I don't find myself seeing a need to cast power shot alot either.

 

I definitely find this character great at causing chaos in war zones, just popping dots everywhere. I just try to pick out my targets that I know I can burst down then get out with my mobility. This build definitely keeps me on the move consistently. I just wish we had better on demand snares.

[saido]

Sweeping shot I find useful for Voidstar and Alderaan hitting enemy trying to activate the objective and it's spammable for that role.

[princeofire]

Honestly if we had better snares I think we would be too overpowered. Being a ranged class that could snare so things never got away is a bit extreme. especially with the mobility that pyro offers

 

I think we are fine without an on demand snare to be honest. If I have taken my target out of the fight (killing him, causing him to line of sight me, forcing him to spam cast heals on himself) then I've done my job in my mind and I move onto the next closest target. Even if I don't kill him and he gets away... I've still successfully removed one of the opposing teams team mates from the fight.

 

I just try to sit away from the action, but still very much in it. If that makes any sense at all? If a target runs from me, I usually won't chase it unless its low health and I can easily get to it. (IE someone runs under the catwalk I'm standing on in huttball.) I will very rarely chase after someone onto their own teams turf without knowing where the rest of their team is. Since mercs have no escape skills at all, it could very easily be signing your own death papers. People tend to notice where enemies are on their own side more so then that merc that looks like a part of the fight, but is running around so he must not be doing any damage (no tracer missile spam lol)

 

Another thing to note is that positioning and awareness is just as important in pyrotech as it is in arsenal. You gotta know if anything is around that corner that youre about to go around. If there is a train of pain coming from that one direction you arent looking right now. Position yourself so that you have more outs than just your CC's. Be aware of where your TEAM is and how quickly you can get to them if need be. Also be aware of if your team is losing a fight and the best way to lend a helping hand.

 

If you find yourself jumped by more enemies than you can handle, and there is no possible way your team can help, do the smart thing... DoT the hell out of them and stay alive as long as possible to maximize the damage you do and laugh as they all walk away with half health and are still burning. Don't try and escape because both you and they know that you wont be able to, and if you try you just don't do anything.

[princeofire]

Sweeping shot I find useful for Voidstar and Alderaan hitting enemy trying to activate the objective and it's spammable for that role.

 

I concede lol, it is useful for those times. but as far as damaging an enemy, no. Especially a mobile melee like warriors / powertechs / operatives

[hotnickels]

http://tinypic.com/r/aka58z/5

 

^Me tearing it up as a pyro merc. Pyro is LEAGUES better than Arsenal in pvp. Show me an arsenal mercenary that could come anywhere near to those stats.

[Champagnetime]

Yea a snare that is always up would make us pretty op, but I just want to take out the rng out of our snare. I think that a 100% chance to snare on a casted shot like Powershot* would be ok. We would have to compromise some of our mobility temporarily for a guaranteed snare, plus it would give us a reson to use this talent more.

 

I just feel that sometimes the rng gods are in my favor when I kite and sometimes they are not. (meaning that I spam rapid shots while I run) I would feel more rewarded when I accomplish kills with skill rather than luck.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Champagnetime

[hotnickels]

The good thing about the snare from Rapid shots is it doesn't affect the CC immunity bar of your opponent. Edited January 5, 2012 by hotnickels

[Sobakozoid]

I have 50 Merc Pyro and i think that it is a weakest BH spec. For a couple of hundreds WZ I never won 1on1 vs. any other 50. I'm always in top 5 dps from both teams, but that's surely not enough. You will never kill 50s Trooper or any Jedi knight/Sith Warrior in this spec, it is completely imposible, but they will shred you to pieces in seconds.

[hotnickels]

Bro I SLAUGHTER any class/spec 1v1, even valor rank 60 sith assassins. The problem is you're bad. This spec has plenty of potential, but is definitely harder than Arsenal where you just attack people and hope they don't notice you.

[Mrs_Murder]

Bro I SLAUGHTER any class/spec 1v1, even valor rank 60 sith assassins. The problem is you're bad. This spec has plenty of potential, but is definitely harder than Arsenal where you just attack people and hope they don't notice you.

 

What's your tactic? I do well in PVP as merc pyro, but I can't imagine doing that much damage. I'm only level 43 at the moment though. I really love the dots that pyro have; I find the slow effect to be crucial in PVP. But not much burst damage, other than power shot and rail shot. Thermal detonator will help, though.

[Sinsavz]

for the record, thermal detonator isn't AOE

 

sweeping blasters? gross skill, never use it in pvp

 

lack of burst? you obviously have never had a thermal detonator and railshot crit on a burning target.. easily 5-5.5k burst, combine that with the dots youre running and things die.. quick

 

poor 1 vs 1? hell, it's easier to 1v1 as a pyro over arsenal or even hybrid 21body 20arsenal. only if youre smart about your cooldowns though.. if youre using power surge and thermal sensor override on an extra powershot to try and get railshot to reset, youre dumb

 

crucial kills? all my kills are "crucial" kills. throw dots on everyone and watch the healer decide who to heal and who not to.. kill who they dont. or, even better, a lot of the times the healers are just so bad they forget to look at themselves and I get to light em up real quick

 

very little utility? I might concede this one.. the long cooldown on the aoe knockback, and no rocket punch knock back.... but we get a fairly reliable slow from combustible gas cylinder, at least, i get it fairly often

 

Pyro is a very successful spec that is highly mobile if you have the skill to use it over arsenal, imo. Don't get why everyone is so dissatisfied with it

I admit I dropped pyro before I got TD, so I just presumed it hit others close by.

 

As someone else said, sweeping blasters is good for the voidstar doors. Yes it's a horrible ability which I don't like using, but it's definitely not useless.

 

Yes you can do some burst if you get crits on td and rail, it's nowhere near the guaranteed burst of arsenal nuking though.

 

I'm not the guy who said the power surge power shot thing.

 

The CGC slow proc is really nice, one of my favourite parts of the spec, but obviously what you sacrifice is less cd on cc break, less cd on jetboost, less range on jetboost, no rocketpunch knockback/interrupt. For a class that is already lacking in utility it absolutely pains me to give those up.

 

For the record I'm not even saying that pyro blows or something, it's a decent spec that is really fun to play. I just think arsenal is superior. I'm going to give pyro another go when I have full pvp set and see how it feels then. On a related note, do pyros take the eliminator set too?

Edited January 5, 2012 by Sinsavz

[Champagnetime]

Yes , the 15% increase to Railshot from the set bonus is delicious. Especially with pyro.

[ChuckThePug]

Sweeping shot I find useful for Voidstar and Alderaan hitting enemy trying to activate the objective and it's spammable for that role.

 

bingo

[TroglodyteJB]

Respecced Pyro from Bodyguard last night, topped the damage meters (even though I'm not 50), and wanted to give some impressions.

 

The rotation is more complex than Arsenal, but less complex than good Bodyguard healing. The UI, in this case, is a textbook example of why we need mods: the entire build is reliant on proccing free Rail Shots, which is a tiny buff on your bar. In addition, optimal Rail Shots hit a target affected by Combustible Gas Cylinder, so there's a lot of time spent looking at buff bars and ensuring YOU have the free Rail Shot while your opponent has the DoT from CGS. A HUD mod would make Pyro a lot more fun to play.

 

In my experience what Pyro does well is pressure. Flinging Incendiary Missiles all over the place racks up damage and fragments the healers' ability to deal with your target. In 1v1s against healers, Pyros are at an enormous disadvantage (Mercs and Ops can cleanse your debuff; Sorcs can shield, which makes the high elemental damage of the build irrelevant); however, in larger-scale fights Pyros are a huge asset capable of making a fair fight utterly unfair.

 

The biggest problem with the spec is the overreliance on the Power Shot and Unload procs. If you get three free Rail Shots in a row, you're going to kill whatever you're shooting at AND your heat is going to remain completely under control. If you Unload and then Power Shot three times and get no procs, your DPS is low and your heat spikes. It makes fights unpredictable and swingy, which is problematic.

 

Standard Rotation is:

 

Incendiary Missile -> Rail Shot -> Unload -> Power Shot (repeat till heat is high or Incendiary Missile completes). If Unload or Power Shot procs a free Rail Shot, ensure that your CSG DoT is on the target by using Rapid Shots until it is, then use the free Rail Shot. Rail Shot is a significant portion of DPS, and combined with CSG, a powerful heat-management tool.